This research briefing provides information about the context of violence against women (VAW) in Samoa. It explores the social, cultural, and religious systems that serve to sustain the nation’s high rates of VAW, including local governance structures and the gender roles inherent within them. There is particular focus on the role of the Christian church in Samoa, and the authors note that, while it can be complicit in perpetuating gender inequalities which sustain VAW, it also has undeniable potential as a source of positive change.

The research for this article was a strand in a New Zealand Institute for Pacific Research (NZIPR) collaborative project (2017-2018) funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and carried out by the University of Otago, the University of Auckland, the National University of Samoa, and Piula Theological College.